Light At The End | Book 2 | Light To Dark

by Benson, Tom

  When all the routines were completed, the pair stretched out under their shelter listening to the sounds of the night. Birds chirped and leaves rustled as nocturnal creatures scurried around.

  “What the hell is that chattering noise?” Flint leaned out of the shelter to look up into the nearby trees. “I don’t recognise the sound as any animal I’ve come across.”

  “Didn’t you say that there were a variety of primates at the reserve,” Sandy whispered.

  “Yeah, but the reserve is bloody miles away.”

  “Given their freedom, a group of primates will explore a long way to find a suitable habitat. Different species have evolved to live on fish, while others feed on crustaceans. Although they all enjoy fruit, not all primates have it as their staple diet.”

  “I did see some type of monkey in the big forest not far from Auchcarn.”

  “Primates serve as a good indication that the local environment is healthy because they’ll linger or push on as they find decent food sources.” He paused. “On the plus side, they’ll also be useful as sentries should anything big and nasty come skulking around.”

  “Maybe we’ll see some of the monkeys tomorrow.” Flint looked into the dense foliage for another few seconds and then slid under the shelter.

  Sandy murmured, “I don’t know if I want to find anything tomorrow.”

  “There’s one thing I hope we both find, mate.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Closure,” Flint whispered that single word which ended their conversation.

  The distinctive, prolonged howl of a wolf echoed through the trees to bid the friends goodnight from the animal kingdom. Neither man was concerned about the wolf, knowing its cry carried for many miles.

  .

  Thursday 14th July

  Birdsong awoke the soldiers. They lay for a few minutes listening to the lyrical sounds, and a woodpecker on early shift hammered at a tree trunk nearby sounding like an alarm doze feature.

  “We hear you,” Flint murmured which got a chuckle from Sandy who was already rolling out of the side of the shelter.

  The two men assumed responsibility for the tasks to be done. In a short time, the fishing line security barrier was down, the shelter collapsed, and they’d enjoyed a wash at the stream downhill from them. Breakfast of tea with protein bars was next before they packed up their simple camp and returned the dampened campfire to be a patch of earth, coated in forest debris.

  An hour after striking camp they arrived on the revised western coastline of Loch Awe. The pair had agreed that they were in two minds about finding any evidence of the three heli-pods from six years earlier. Their pod had come down in the reservoir near the power plant. They knew that at least one of the others had reached the coastline of Loch Awe before exploding.

  The raised level of the water meant any footpath or trail that had been in place around parts of the massive loch had long since disappeared. Instead, there were areas where the waters had washed up items from the post-nuclear tsunami and the earth tremors. It was a reminder to both men as if it were needed that as abundant as the greenery might be, they were in a post-apocalyptic world. As they’d noted already, a wide variety of flowers decorated the meadows below and around the mountain. They were witnessing large areas of colour where another range of plant life was flourishing. The banks of the loch and the edge of the forestry were healthy. Insects were in abundance, and apart from bees and butterflies, there were brightly-coloured dragonflies.

  Patches of the inner waterway’s coastline were lush with greenery where reeds and similar plants were firmly established. A disturbing effect of the loch’s plant growth was the continued trapping of flotsam from sunken sailboats which had been tethered in places around the huge loch. In some instances, the items caught and deteriorating among the aquatic foliage were not originally from boats, but from the buildings which had succumbed to the physical violence visited on the region those few years before.

  “Another doll,” Flint said as they walked close to the edge of a low grassy inlet. The soldiers felt some relief when they realised the only ‘bodies’ seen floating in the water or washed ashore were dolls made from plastic or a similar material. It was ironic that a man-made toy could have outlived those who’d taken pleasure in their young lives from treating such a toy as a baby; a new life.

  For two hours the men patrolled the loch’s coast and occasionally looked between the nearby trees as they passed areas where the forestry had extended to be close to the water’s edge. With mixed feelings, they strolled along seeing birds happily going about their day, either on the water or close to the woodland. More than once, a squirrel, rabbit, fox or deer wandered into view up ahead, stared quizzically at the soldiers and then dashed back among the trees.

  “Flint … look there … about three or four metres out amongst the reeds.”

  “Holy shit … it’s a bergen.”

  Sandy lifted the multi-purpose fishing reel from one of his vest pouches. “I can attach a hook to this line, but it’s gonna need weight to reach out there.”

  Flint lifted a rough piece of rock which was as big as his fist. “Tie this a little way back on the line.”

  While Sandy made several attempts to cast the end of the line out over the large backpack trapped in the reeds, Flint kept a wary eye on the woods nearby. It wasn’t a time to drop their guard.

  “Got it.” Sandy began reeling in the bag, which was in good shape when considering how long it had been there. He treated the item with respect, having recognised it as military so had probably belonged to one of their comrades lost in the multiple heli-pod disaster.

  Flint glanced at the big bag. “It’s in remarkable condition.”

  “That’s a testament to the materials they used to make our equipment, mate.” Sandy turned it over and wiped wet, stinking foliage from the shoulder straps. “There are faint black markings where a name would have been but nothing clear.”

  “In my opinion, that’s a good thing, mate.”

  Sandy paused in the wiping of the fabric to meet Flint’s gaze. “You’re right. The only thing packed in here which gives away any identity would be a spare combat jacket with a nametag. If there is one, I’m not going to unfold it.”

  “How about checking the contents are dry, and we’ll take the whole bergen back for Bill?”

  Sandy nodded. “That’s what we’ll do.” He pulled the cord on the top flap and then eased back the nylon zipper of the inner bag. “Dry as a desert.” Sandy slipped his hand down around the spare clothing inside. He refastened the zipper and pulled the drawcord.

  “Are we good to go, or do you want to sit here a while?” Flint raised an eyebrow.

  “Would it sound pathetic if we sat here for a few minutes.”

  “We can do better than that, Corporal Beech.” Flint winked as he unfastened the clip to drop off his bergen. “We can’t have a drink to toast the guys, but we could heat water and have chamomile tea in our new reality.” He paused and looked around. “I reckon they’re sitting around us right now.”

  “Right, Private Stone, you make a brew, and I’ll see what the other lads have got to say.” Sandy held his rifle across his body and stood a few metres away, looking across the expanse of water. It had been there six years earlier, where some of their twenty-two comrades and at least one heli-pod pilot had been lost.

  As he focused on the ripples, he recollected those fateful few seconds when he saw the leading aircraft react to the electromagnetic pulse from a distant nuclear explosion. Before he’d seen the second heli-pod spin and explode, Sandy had grabbed Flint, the man nearest to him and launched them both out of the craft into the air.

  Once again, Sandy felt the rush of the wind. He felt the low temperature of the water when he hit the reservoir and submerged—those first few seconds after resurfacing replayed like a bad dream. Sandy heard again the echoes between the mountains of the three heli-pods exploding. Once more, he sensed the realisation that only Flint
and himself were on the surface of the water, both wearing heavy bergens and trying to stay afloat to swim. He had no idea if the other heli-pods had fallen to the reservoir or the nearby loch.

  “Sandy … Sandy.” Flint was standing beside the NCO. “Herbal tea, to toast our mates.”

  Sandy wiped his eyes, took the mug of hot liquid and touched it against his companion’s mug. “Absent friends.”

  “Absent friends.” Flint sipped and for a moment gazed out across the water. He murmured without turning. “When we walk away from here, Sandy, please remember two things. What happened was out of your control, and our comrades didn’t have time to register anything.”

  Those words had been spoken by one of his squad. The sentiment was expressed in a unique location, and that combination was what the NCO had needed for closure. The guilt he’d carried for six long years would still exist, but now at least, it was secured in a small compartment at the back of his mind. He had to move on, and he had his young son Peter to consider.

  “Osprey,” Flint said and pointed over the loch.

  The big bird with its striking black and brown speckled white plumage was swooping low across the surface. Simultaneously the broad wings spread and tilted forward slightly, acting as air brakes. The natural undercarriage of sharp yellow talons shot forward and dipped into the water. The osprey gave several beats of its mighty wings, and while it lifted into the air, a large fish offered a token struggle, gripped and impaled by the predator’s sturdy claws.

  “Magnificent,” Sandy said. “Life is going on, isn’t it, Flint?” He continued to watch the beautiful bird gain height and head for its nest high in a tree on the far side of the loch.

  “Yes, mate, life is going on.” Flint grinned and was content to see the improvement in the man he’d respected and followed into firefights many times. It had been sad to see Sandy over the past couple of years making an effort to sound humorous or even normal. Since the small but meaningful ceremony, they’d shared earlier in the morning Sandy’s voice had regained a once-familiar tone.

  “Do you want to take the point for a while, Flint … I need a rest?”

  “Will do,” Flint said and walked briskly for a few seconds, but as he passed Sandy, he murmured, “Lazy shit.” He was happy to be playfully slapped on the back of the head as he took the lead.

  Apart from the large and surreal bright gap in the mainly dark sky, the world around the two men appeared normal. Birds and insects were a continual and welcome background noise. The variety of sounds combined with the fragrances from the trees and flowers made the lochside feel like Eden. The two soldiers didn’t talk, preferring instead to concentrate on quiet footfalls as they patrolled the edge of the waterway and forest.

  Flint noted a bird was sitting out in the middle of the loch. At first, he couldn’t understand why it was still and not bobbing in the water—it was perched on the cross atop a submerged church spire. He turned away from the water. “How do you want to return to base?”

  “We must be near Lochawe village now, Sandy said. “Are you asking if we should climb to the top of the mountain and go down that set of rungs or should we complete a gradual climb around?”

  “That’s what I’m asking.” Flint laughed.

  “How about stopping in an hour for a short break. When we reach the edge of the forest, we’ll go the long way between the mountains so that we’re above the height of the glass corridor?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  The pair enjoyed the remainder of their limited rations at the next stop, but they still had a bottle of water apiece. They followed the edge of the forest around the north aspect of Auchcarn. As they gained height traversing the mountainside, they looked down on the hydro installation’s reservoir. Two hours after starting the long and winding climb, they maintained a slightly higher altitude above the glass corridor. The corridor bridged the low saddle between Auchcarn and its nearest neighbouring mountain, Rachcarn. It was Rachcarn which contained most of the old disused railway tunnel—the unlikely saviour of the touring coach passengers six years earlier.

  By the time they’d gone around the mountain and gradually descended, they could see some of their friends working on the pathway project. It was half an hour before they were within shouting distance.

  “Hey,” Sandy called.

  A few of the people toiling on the path construction paused and waved back at the two figures approaching from higher up the mountainside. It wasn’t long before everybody stopped, relieved to see the soldiers returning safely.

  “Is there any chance of a cup of tea?” Flint shouted from one hundred metres away.

  8 - Briefing and Discussion

  When Sandy and Flint heard on their return that Bill was on shift in the Control Room, they went straight there.

  Bill stood and grinned as he gave the two soldiers a man-hug. “It’s great to see you both back safely, and you didn’t come back in the route you went out?”

  “No,” Sandy said and half-turned to smile at Flint. “We think it might be a job for one of us or even two of us to go out there again sometime and clean those rungs. If anybody with a nervous disposition used that exit to leave here, it might not end well.”

  “That bad?” Bill looked from one to the other.

  “That bad,” Flint confirmed, “and it wouldn’t be too easy climbing the next section either unless you had some experience.”

  “At least now we know. Maybe between us, we’ll get out there and improve the exit just in case we ever need to use it.” Bill looked at the three bergens. “Where did the extra pack come from?”

  “It’s a gift to you from our team,” Sandy said. “We’ve checked the contents are dry, but we don’t know who it belonged to—we’d like it to stay that way. The bergen and contents are yours, Bill, and all we ask is that you remove any name tags and lose them.”

  “Thank you, and the anonymous team member. It’ll be an honour to wear the uniform.”

  Flint said, “There’s a possibility that there will be more equipment out there. You’ll see from the revised mapping, Loch Awe is considerably larger since the tsunami and seismic activity.”

  “When would you guys like to do your update?”

  Sandy said, “Have we got one set up for tomorrow?”

  “Yes, and it’s got a couple of interesting topics scheduled, but I’m sure everybody would like to be kept in the loop.” Bill nodded to the table and seats across the room. “If you want to work on your stuff in here while it’s fresh in your mind I’ll ask somebody to bring you a brew.”

  “That would be great,” Flint said. “Mint tea for me, please, mate.”

  “Same here, please, Bill.” Sandy followed Flint to the table.

  “You’ve got it.” Bill flicked the intercom. “Hey, Ramona, I know you’ll be busy controlling Alan’s desire to be creative in there but would you mind organising three mint teas, please?”

  Ramona’s laughter rang out before she spoke. “I’ll trust Alan in here for a few minutes, and I’ll bring them up myself, Bill.”

  “Thank you.”

  Ten minutes after the call, there was a light tap on the door and Ramona; the handsome chef stepped inside. “Hello, boys—good to see you back safe.” She placed her tray on the table. “Leave these for five minutes for more flavour.”

  Flint said, “Those bars you packed for us were amazing.”

  “I’m glad to hear it, and I’m looking forward to hearing about your expedition.” She crossed the room with Bill’s tea.

  “Thank you, Ramona—the guys, will update us tomorrow at the briefing.”

  “I’ll be there.” She winked and left the Control Room.

  Bill went back to studying the sub-station diagrams he’d been trying to understand. Des and Paul were on the alternate shifts, which meant Bill could attend the update in the morning.

  The two soldiers discussed the amendments they’d made to the ordnance survey map they’d taken with them. For the main part,
the extended regions of Loch Awe had been so easy to recognise that Sandy had merely made pencil marks here and there along the contour lines. In agreement with Flint’s observations, Sandy drew in equally-spaced diagonal lines to highlight the areas that Loch Awe had acquired along most of its northern and western coastlines.

  Flint said, “If we were to map the whole loch, I reckon it would take us two or three weeks to circumnavigate.”

  “I agree, mate, and if we consider the changes to what we’ve already seen, it might take even longer.”

  .

  Friday 15th July

  As the leader and spokesperson for July, Calvin took the floor and waited for quiet which didn’t take long. “Good morning everybody and I can tell you we’ve got a lot of information and a varied selection this morning. On the subject of varied selections, on behalf of everybody, thank you, Ramona and Alan, for a great breakfast.”

  Several cheers went up as both Ramona and her partner, Alan the ex-businessman took a bow to humour Calvin and the others.

  “First thing on the agenda,” Calvin said, “is the pathway project. We’re not quite halfway down the mountain yet, but remember, guys—it is a mountain.” He paused amidst some laughter from his audience. “From a personal point of view, I think the team are doing a great job. The surface is smooth and firm. The path is winding. As a means of getting up and down such a gradient, it’s an ideal solution. As with all of our big jobs, slow and steady is the way forward, and from today we’ll be adding some more loose stone chips along the edges.” Calvin paused. “Victoria our resident botanist has assured me that she’s making headway with a heather replanting idea. In effect, what we’ll have is strips of the lovely indigenous plant growing along the lower edge of the pathway from the area of the patio all the way down the hill. The growth will create more stability for the soil.” He smiled when there were intakes of breath. “A team will work directly with Victoria to uproot and replant the heather. The plant regrows rapidly, so we’re not going to have large patches all over our mountain.”